


Engagement

by write_your_way_out



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 10:03:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10739448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/write_your_way_out/pseuds/write_your_way_out
Summary: Never in his wildest dreams did JJ imagine he would recount the story of his engagement to the curious, selfie-obsessed skater from Thailand.





	Engagement

**Author's Note:**

> Going through my Tumblr, I found several old works for various fandoms, including this gem! I thought I'd put it up here for others to enjoy.

“What’s on your hand?” JJ looked up. Phichit stood over him, beaming with pride. Of course Phichit would be proud. He gave a marvelous presentation. JJ dropped his arm from the cool-down stretch and glared at the floor. He’d chosen this hallway because it was empty. Because he wanted to be alone. Not even his family knew where he was, and Phichit had found him anyway.

After a disastrous Short Program (the worst performance JJ had ever done in his life, in fact,) all he wanted was to be ignored. For once, he was grateful the other skaters hated him. He didn’t want to face anyone, didn’t want to explain himself, didn’t want to hear his words thrown back at him.

“What’s on your hand?” Phichit repeated. JJ held back a groan. The most social of the Grand Prix Finalists, there was no way he could get rid of the Thai skater.

“My engagement ring,” JJ said. The gold band sat on his ring finger, sparkling in the light. Made up of two circles that intersected like the rings of an atom, JJ had once thought it was simple, yet elegant. Now, he thought it was a reminder of the promises he couldn’t keep.

“Engagement?!” Phichit leaned forward, his voice an excited yelp. Normally JJ would be glad to hold the attention of a competitor, but cornered between Phichit and the wall, he wanted nothing more than to escape. “When did this happen?”

JJ clenched his fists. A scornful laugh escaped his lips before he could stop it. “I tried to tell you guys last night, but you walked away.”

Phichit’s face fell. The sparkle in his eyes dimmed and JJ almost regretted snapping at him. “I thought you were joking.”

“Isn’t that what everyone thinks?” JJ stood, forcing Phichit away. “I should go find my par- my coaches.” He walked down the hall, preparing his explanation for what went wrong. But there was no explanation, no excuse. He had failed and he had no idea why. No-

“Wait!” Phichit scrambled after him and JJ groaned.

“Please, just ignore me like you always do,” He snapped.

“Listen, I’m sorry,” Phichit grabbed his arm and spun him around. “For what happened last night. And for what happened to you today.”

JJ winced. No one even wanted to call it a failure. That was how bad it had been. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay,” Phichit still didn’t leave. Why wouldn’t he just leave JJ alone? “If you don’t want to talk about today, talk about that.” He pointed to the ring.

JJ folded his arms.

“I’m not leaving until you tell me all about it. How did it happen? Did Isabella say yes?”

“Obviously.”

Phichit sat down on the floor and patted the ground next to him. “Come on, don’t be shy now.”

“Okay, okay.” JJ started to recount the story.

Before the Grand Prix started, JJ’s family and friends got together to throw him a going-away party. His parents were there, his younger brother and sister, Isabella’s family, his rink mates and some others. Skate Canada, his first qualifying competition, was only two days away.

JJ’s parents rented a banquet hall in Toronto to throw the party. Known for its prestige and beauty, it was one of the best places he could think of to throw a party. The hall was really more of a ballroom pulled straight from a castle. There was even a balcony that overlooked the city. The view took his breath away, watching cars and people race around down below.

He leaned against the rail. A warm breeze ruffled his hair. Despite the rumors, Canada wasn’t always a frozen wasteland. “You know, the party’s inside.”

“Hmm?” JJ turned to the side. His rink mate stood next to him, dangling one arm over the rail. He hadn’t even noticed her show up. Zoey McKinley was a year younger than him, and at least a foot shorter. Dark irises blended into her pupils. Chocolate hair fell past her ribs. In one hand, she held a champagne flute.

Zoey sighed and turned around, stretching her back out against the railing of the balcony. A back injury last year had prevented her from skating, and the remaining effects of it made her an unlikely choice to qualify for the GPF. “Are you going to do it?” She asked.

JJ swallowed. His throat was suddenly the consistency of paper. He didn’t have to ask her what she meant. When he went shopping for the ring, he sent her pictures to get a girl’s perspective. She still hadn’t let him live that one down.

“Do you think I should?”

“Why the heck’re you asking me?” Zoey shoved his shoulder. “You’re the one dating her!”

For the first time in years, butterflies fluttered in his stomach. His heart rate sped up. JJ’s hand went for the pocket of his jacket. A small box pressed against his fist. “What if she doesn’t-”

“I will throw you over the edge of this balcony if you finish that sentence.”

“So you think I should go for it?”

“I think you should do what feels right.”

“I don’t know what feels right!”

Zoey groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Everything about what we do is about risks.” When he didn’t respond, she continued. “You’re one of the only skaters crazy enough to plan four quads in one program.”

“How does that-”

“Shhh,” Zoey hissed. “Every time you jump those quads, do you know for certain you’ll land them?”

“I guess not,”

“And you jump them anyway,” Zoey said. “Why? Because you have faith in yourself that you can do it. It’s a risk, but you believe in your own ability.”

JJ ran a hand down his face and groaned. If only this was that simple. In a life that required him constantly move, to reshape and reform, pick up everything and fly across the world, he didn’t hold on to very much. The most important things to him were packed in a carry-on suitcase, ready to go at a moment’s notice. After over a year of dating, JJ only knew one thing. Isabella was the first thing he truly wanted to hold onto.

Zoey squeezed his shoulder. “I can go get you a drink, if that helps.” She held up her own now-empty glass.

“I’d prefer to remember my engagement, thank you very much.”

“Time’s running out,” Zoey said. “If you’re going to do it, do it now.”

With that, she turned and left, leaving JJ to sort out his thoughts alone.

“I mean, seriously, dude. Come on!” Zoey turned back. “Don’t question yourself now!”

He took a deep breath. “Okay, okay.”

Phichit laughed. “You needed a 18-year-old to convince you to propose to the love of your life? Dude.”

“Yeah? You try it and see how you feel,”

“Point taken. Continue.”

 

The moment JJ re-entered the banquet hall, all eye were on him. Voices of ‘Congratulations,’ and ‘Good luck!’ melded together into an audible blur. Suits and dresses faded in and out of sight.

“There you are,” Isabella said. He forced a smile, even though he was freaking out. Looking at her didn’t help. Not for the first time, he wondered how he had managed to land someone like her. Everything about her was perfect. Her heart of gold was a bigger treasure than any medal JJ had ever won. From the sparkle in her eyes to the glimmer of her lips, she shone brighter than any star.

Tonight she wore a white cocktail dress that hung off one shoulder and faded into black detailing. It took his breath away.

“JJ, are you okay?” Her hand caressed the side of his face. “You look pale.” She started to pull her hand away, but he caught it in his. Her fingers curled around his wrist. There was a saying that you knew you were soulmates because their fingers fit perfectly in the space between your’s. Did they align?

He tried to swallow but his mouth was a desert. From across the room, he spotted Zoey giving him a thumbs up. “Can I-” his breath caught. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Is something wrong?” Her eyes widened. No one had ever looked at him like that, that concerned and worried for him.

“I, um, no. Not exactly,” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“You’re blushing.”

Zoey frantically motioned for him to breathe. “I just need to get something off my chest.”

“Okay…”

“When I first met you, I thought you were the most beautiful person I’d ever met, inside and out. And I still think that. You gave me something that I never knew I was missing. The way you smile lights up the room. When you laugh, it makes me wish I had become a comedian instead of an ice skater.”

Isabella laughed. Her dimples widened her smile even more. A lump rose in his throat. “See?” He choked out.

“I don’t care where I have to go, where my career takes me, because my home is you. You remind me each and every day what it means to be alive. What it means to be in love. I never want to lose that feeling, no matter how many miles separate us, no matter how many years pass.” He let go of her hand and reached into his pocket.

“So will…will you marry me?”

The room was absolutely silent. JJ didn’t notice before, but everyone was watching, listening.

He stared at the floor. Seconds passed. Could everyone in the room hear his heartbeat? Isabella hadn’t said a word. Why wasn’t she talking? Had he misread something? Was she embarrassed?

He looked up. Isabella’s hands clamped over her mouth. Tears watered down her cheeks. “JJ!” She jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Yes!”

 

 

“Wow,” Phichit said. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a surprising guy.”

“That you are.” He brushed off his sweatpants and stood. “You wanna come get lunch with me? You’ve been to Barcelona before, haven’t you? You know the best spots.”

It hit him. Phichit was actually trying to be friendly. “Yeah, sure. I’ll meet you here in a few minutes. I need to find Isabella first.”


End file.
